5 ways to build brand authority

Everybody building their business is looking to separate themselves from the pack and there is a variety of ways to do that. However, I think in TT, businesses tend to shy away from taking one of the most powerful routes you can in business to stand out, and that is to become an authority figure in your industry.

There are significant benefits to becoming a thought leader in your niche, and once you have built that brand authority, it will not only generate more sales for your business, but will also create more opportunities for your business.

For starters, there is no better situation to be in than when a particular topic comes up, your name or business name is the first being recommended because you are not only top of mind, but also viewed as one of the best in your industry.

This isn’t an easy route to take, because this route isn’t about who has the biggest budget or ad spend. You cannot spend your way to the top, and in the event you do, it takes a significant amount of money to be able to flood the market with ads, and the ROI isn’t always there.

Becoming the authority figure in your niche is going to take creativity, ingenuity, consistency and a commitment to teaching your audience.

This can be done in any industry – and I mean any industry.

Don’t believe me? Jump on YouTube and type in "PVC Pipe" or "Microsoft Excel."

Things that you would believe nobody cares about or is teaching about have garnered millions of views, putting those individuals and YouTube channels at the top of the list to learn about those particular things.

So here are five ways you can build brand authority in your niche:

1. Building partnerships

2. Guest writing

3. Case studies

4. Write a book

5. Get featured on authoritative platforms

Building partnerships

Look for other companies in your niche that are looking to solve similar problems in your industry. Find ways you can align to solve particular issues in your space.

For example, when I started Droid Island which was a tech blog, I started to work with companies like Huawei, Samsung, B-Mobile and Digicel to create tech content and workshops that helped their audience and also helped to build my brand authority.

Guest writing

Research top bloggers, YouTube channels or media houses for which you can become a guest contributor. Create educational content that helps to solve issues in your industry. You will begin to syphon brand authority from those platforms that are viewed as authoritative by your audience.

Case studies

Creating case studies in your industry allows your audience to see your genius or methodologies at work. So if you are selling health juices, create case studies around how your juices have helped someone achieve the result your product is supposed to help with. Document that process and turn that into content.

Don’t just make an ad saying your juices help with bloating, figure out how to show that through a case study.

Write a book

Writing a book is still one of the top three ways to establish yourself as an authority figure in your industry.

We aren’t talking about creating a planner, a journal or a quick e-book: that doesn’t position you as an authority. We are talking about writing a 30,000-plus word book on a topic in your industry. That shows you can dive deep, and nothing screams authority like having a published book attached to your name.

Books also generate the highest number of opportunities for your brands. Think features, speaking gigs, book signings, workshops and Googleability.

Get featured on authoritative platforms

This one is very important! You need to constantly think about your PR outreach.

What platforms hold authority, and which platforms are your target audience reading?

When you make a list of the platforms that hold authority, you can start your outreach or work with a PR rep to help you get featured on these platforms. This will help greatly with how your audience views you and you can repurpose these features onto your website and social media. When people come to your website and see things like “As Seen On,” that is viewed as one of the ultimate forms of authority.

Take a look at each of these five ways, do your homework on how to approach each of them and get started. Building your authority will separate you from the competition, keep you top-of-mind with your audience and help generate more business for your company.

Keron Rose is a digital strategist who works with Caribbean entrepreneurs to build their digital presence and monetize their platforms. Visit Keronrose.com to learn more or check out the Digipreneur FM podcast on all podcast directories.